Chapter Nine
"And you haven't heard from him since?" Lane asked, a small frown creasing her face as she watched Rory pace up and down in front of her.
It was two days since Logan had arrived in town, and Rory had finally found the courage to tell her best friend the news about the baby, the visit to London and the impending disaster that was currently her life. She had just finished the tale of Logan vs. Jess and Lane couldn't hide her shock.
Raising an eyebrow, Rory grimaced. "Nope. Not a word. Do you think he ran back to England?"
"By England you mean Odette, obviously." Lane took a sip of the coffee she was holding, before promptly spitting it back out. "Ugh, cold. Another?"
Rory bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah, decaf though. I've already hit my quota of caffeine for the day. Do you think he did?"
"Go to England? No, Rory. I can't believe he would just leave again, not without speaking to you first. It makes no sense."
Huffing a great sigh, Rory vented her frustration. "I know! I don't get it! Where is he, Lane?"
"Well…"
Rory stopped pacing. "Well? Well what?"
"Well, you were kind of, sort of, a bit, well, mean to him." Lane mumbled, staring at the ground.
"I was mean to him?"
"Well, maybe just a tad. The peter pan comment was harsh. He is allowed to call his friends, Rory. I mean, you're pregnant! Pregnant. I kind of want to call this Finn guy to talk about it myself."
Rory resumed pacing the room at a faster rate. "Oh, God. You're right. I didn't even let him tell me why he called Finn. I just blew up and scared him away. I'm a terrible person. I've ruined this kids life before he or she is even born. Lane, what am I going to do?"
"Well, first of all, stop moving, you're making me dizzy. And second? Call him, Rory. He's waiting for you to make the first move."
"You think so?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with hope.
"Yes!" Lane replied, handing Rory her phone. "Call him, now."
Rory grabbed the phone excitedly. Her hands shook as she dialled his number. She could barely contain herself as the line began to ring. Come on, Logan, pick up! She silently willed him to answer her. Then she slumped down in disappointment as the answer machine kicked in.
Turning her back on Lane, she prepared to leave Logan a voice message. "Logan, it's me. Rory, I mean. Look, I'm so sorry. I should never have spoken to you like that, and I should've handled this all differently. I made a mistake, Logan. The day you proposed, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I love you. I should've told you that, and I should've said yes. I know I've screwed everything up, and I'm the reason you went back to your family and that damn dynastic plan but it's not right, Logan. We're right, you and me. I feel it, and I know you feel it too. Can we just re-wind and take it all back? I need-" Rory cut off as the phone beeped. She glanced round at Lane. "Damn voicemails, ran out of time."
Dialling his number again, Rory started tapping her foot. As soon as the machine kicked in again, Rory launched straight back into her speech. "I need you, Logan. My life just isn't right without you in it. You make me laugh, and you challenge me, and you c-complete me." Rory started to struggle as tears welled in her eyes. She sucked in a huge breath and carried on. "Since the day we met, you have been all of that for me. Remember that day, master and commander? You have to remember and you have to call me. I can't do this without you. And I'm sorry to say all of this to you in a voicemail, but I don't know where you are and I just had to tell you. I love you, Logan Huntzberger, I have always loved you and I will always love you and please just call me back, ok?"
Rory finally put the phone down as tears began to roll down her face. She turned back to Lane to see that she was also crying. Lane held out her arms to Rory, and she sank gratefully into them. After a few moments, the two women managed to regain some level of composure.
"That was… beautiful. I have to ask, master and commander?"
"Oh, that. He'll get it, I hope. Something he said the day we met. You kind of had to be there."
"He'll call, Rory."
Rory nodded hopefully. "Yeah, he will, right? Oh, Lane, I haven't even asked about Zach and the boys! I'm so sorry. Selfish is my new middle name. How are they?"
As Lane launched into a lengthy explanation of her twin boys and their latest antics, Rory couldn't help but feel jealous of how happy her friend seemed.
"and Steve said, 'You're a great dad though.' You should have seen Zach's face. It was priceless. Rory, are you ok?"
"Sorry, Lane. I was just thinking how happy you looked."
"Oh, thanks. You know, you will be too. This will work out."
Rory tried to smile. "I hope you're right."